Billing code 63048: Spinal decompressionMedicare rate & RVUs in Washington
Reports each additional vertebral segment decompressed during extensive laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy for spinal canal or nerve-root compression.
CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 63048 in Washington.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 63048 covers
Code 63048 captures each additional vertebral segment decompressed after the first during an extensive laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy for spinal canal or nerve-root compression. The work may include removing lamina and facet bone and enlarging the foramen to free the spinal cord, cauda equina, or nerve roots. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons commonly perform this operation in an operating room for multilevel stenosis. It can accompany cervical, thoracic, or lumbar primary decompression codes.
Report 63048 only with the applicable primary code—63045, 63046, or 63047—and only for segments beyond the first. The operative report should identify the spinal region and each decompressed vertebral segment and support the extent of bony decompression, rather than a limited laminotomy alone. Count additional segments, not sides; bilateral work at one segment does not create another segment. As an add-on, it is paid within the primary procedure's global period.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 63048 pays more and less in Washington
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Rest Of Washington | Unavailable | $182.07 |
| Seattle (King Cnty) | Unavailable | $194.87 |
How the 63048 rate is calculated
Each of 63048’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 63048
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work3.38
3.38 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense1.13
1.13 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.10
1.10 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
5.6100
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$187.38
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 63048
The CMS indicators that decide how 63048 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 63048
Spinal decompression
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 0 | The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 2 | Paid. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 2 | Permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 80 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
63048 without 80 · national facility
$187.38
Spinal decompression
63048-80 · Assistant: 16%
$29.98
A physician assistant at surgery is paid 16% of the surgeon’s fee schedule amount.
63048 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 63047Lumbar decompression
- 63047 reports the first lumbar segment treated with extensive decompression. Use 63048 for each additional segment in that procedure.
- 63035Nerve-root decompression
- 63035 covers additional-level laminotomy and nerve-root decompression, a more limited service. Code 63048 is for additional segments treated with laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy.
- 63053Lumbar decompression
- 63053 reports additional lumbar decompression segments when the work is performed during posterior interbody arthrodesis; 63048 accompanies the non-fusion decompression family.
63048 billing questions
Which primary codes can be reported with 63048?
Report it with 63045 for cervical, 63046 for thoracic, or 63047 for lumbar decompression. It represents additional segments beyond the first treated by the primary procedure.
How should units be counted?
Count each additional vertebral segment decompressed after the first. Bilateral decompression at the same segment is still one segment.
Can 63048 be used for a limited laminotomy?
No. This code is for additional segments treated with the extensive laminectomy, facetectomy, and foraminotomy service; a limited laminotomy or nerve-root decompression is a different service.
What should the operative report identify?
Document the spinal region, each vertebral segment treated, and the decompressive work performed. The record should make clear which segment is covered by the primary code and which are additional.
How does a lumbar fusion change code selection?
When the lumbar decompression is performed during posterior interbody arthrodesis, compare the fusion-specific codes 63052 and 63053 with 63047 and 63048. The operative circumstances determine which code family describes the work.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
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